~15 years ago~
A young Rainer Sparta is walking a deserted road. Abandoned vehicles are scattered everywhere. Rainer passes a group of cars positioned in a way that looks like people have been living in the area. He scavenges through the area thinking it has been abandoned. As he rummages through items left beside the cars he hears a faint voice. It says, "help me...please."
Instantly Rainer's eyes dart in the direction of the voice. He sees a young woman inside one of the cars. She's a little bruised up. Rainer rushes to the woman and notices she needs water. He also notices she is chained to the car door. Rainer pulls out a machete and hacks off the chains.
He gives her the water he has from his canteen. After she takes the drink she looked like she desperately needed. She tells Rainer, "They're gonna come back. Please help them. There's more than me out there. Rainer says, "where are they?" The woman tells Rainer they're about a mile west. He says to the woman, "Show me."
As the two begin to head out west Rainer asks the woman what her name was. She replies, "I'm Grace, Grace Martinez...You?"
Rainer tells her, "I'm Rainer Sparta."
The woman's eyes widen as she hears his name and replies, "OH my! The Rainer Sparta! The one who has a dozen of the empress's lieutenants under his belt!? People have said your strength and leadership are equal to Elias Caine and Bernard Sullivan's."
Rainer smirks and says, "It wasn't a dozen. More like 20. And no I don't think I'm like either Elias or Barney. I'm my own thing." Grace smiles and says, "I mean what luck for us to run into not only one of the best heroes of the war but my personal favorite! They called you the lone wolf don't they?" Rainer replies in a dull tone, "Yes..." Grace then asks, "If you always travel alone then how and where do you get all that gear you have? You must have friends or something!"
Rainer replies in a stoic matter by saying, "They were all taken from the lieutenants I've beaten." Grace says, "Woooow! And that's all Caine tech right!?" Rainer answers saying, "Yes!" Then pulls Grace down beside him. They both hide behind an abandoned car. He tells her, "They're right over there. Now be quiet!" Grace replies, " I know." Then Rainer hears a gun click behind his back. The look in Rainer's eyes now changes as he's told to approach what he thought were Grace's captors.
As he approaches the crew of 5 men, Grace yells toward them saying, "Hey guys look who I found!" The men all yell, "Whooooo! Hooo! Will ya look at that! Fancy gear and weapons! Christmas came early boys!" One of the men yells in another direction saying, " Hey Eddie! Looks like Grace's plan worked! Come here! We caught a big fish! "
A figure approaches dragging a bloody and beaten body. He smiles and says, "good job baby girl!" She replies with a smile and says, "Thank you, Edward."
Edward approaches Rainer and says, "Take the armor off buddy!" Rainer looks to the other men with Edward. There are frightened women on the ground by them. All the captive men have been beaten to a bloody pulp. Some look dead.
Rainer replies, "Can't do that.." Edward replies, "Do it or you F#CKIN die!" Grace adds to the threats by saying, "This ain't no damn regular gun. This thing will pierce right through your armor with a laser hotter than lava!"
Rainer takes another look at the beaten men on the ground. He sees a few of them were soldiers of war. His face contorts in anger as he motions his hands up and pulls off his gauntlet.
Edward smiles and says, "Yess! Good boy haha!" Rainer motions to drop the piece of armor and then instantly throws it in Edward's face. Shocked at the attack Grace and the rest of the crew gasp. Then before Grace can pull the trigger Rainer activates his force field tech cutting off Grace's forearm that was holding the gun. Instantly her gasps are followed by screams of pain.
Rainer picks up the gun and motions it to the other men. However, they've all grabbed a hostage. Edward while rubbing his face tells Rainer to, " Drop the gun!" He lowers the weapon instantly. Edward laughs then tells the would-be hero, "Good boy, you're not as dumb as I thought you were. Now deactivate that force field or these hostages deaths will be on you. With just one snap of my fingers." Edward complies the force field is shut off.
Edward smiles and claps his hands. Rainer grumbles the words, "Damn pirates." Edward hears this and says, "Now, now soldier. That's a label YOU guys have given us. We're just trying to survive. However, I do like that name though. It's just the destain you guys say it with when you refer to me or my men."
Edward walks toward Grace who's still in pain. Edward kneels by her side holding what's left of her arm up. Edward tells Grace, "It's gonna be okay baby. Just bite down on this." He hands Grace his belt while showing a gauntlet of his own. Then tells Rainer, "See this? I took this off one of your guys. Wanna be heroes and leaders of this new world." He turns on the weapon and then Rainer sees the gauntlet's purpose. Edward's palms begin to ignite with extreme heat from the gauntlet. He holds his love's arm up and then tells her, "I love you babe. This is gonna hurt but it'll be for the best." Grace nods then Edward proceeds to cauterize Grace's arm. She holds in her screams in while biting down on the belt Edward has given her.
As he finishes Edward places Grace gently on the floor. He tells her, "Be right back babe. Let me handle this real quick." He stands up then approaches Rainer. This time with no cocky smile across his face Edward tells Rainer, "You entitled piece of crap. You hurt my woman!"
Rainer replies saying, "You hurt these people!" The smile on Edward's face returns and he says, "Well sh#t! These people have hurt people. They were all entitled pieces of crap like you! You all are soldiers and lieutenants of another army under the same ruler but with a different face!"
Rainer replies by saying, "Please not this pitiful explanation from guys like you again! Do what you're gonna do!" Edward says, "Okay." He ignites his gauntlets once again then tells Rainer, "You threw that gauntlet in my face. Now I'm gonna sear the skin off yours! Now don't move or my men will kill all our prisoners haha!"
As Edward approaches Rainer with his arms out the lone soldier braces for the impact of his enemy's weapons but looks up at the last second and pulls his head back.
To Edward's surprise the gauntlet Rainer threw shoots out a missile intended for Edward's head and blows a hole for Rainer and the rest of his men to see through.
As Edward collapses. His men scream, " You bastard! " Before the men could react they are instantly hit from above by hi-tech homing arrows. They all drop dead.
Edward looks above him to a broken bridge and sees a young Victor Hawkins. Victor tells Rainer, "Looks like you needed help lone wolf." Rainer tells Victor, "I had it under control!"
Victor replies, "Bull crap man! Look I get it. You've done good by yourself but trust me when I say this. You could do better with people around you. People like you are valuable in times like this." He paused his pleas to Rainer then continues to say to him in a more sympathetic nature, "Hey man. We're not gonna be young forever. Future generations of this world will need another Victor Hawkins and Rainer Sparta. At the very least of this offer. At least come with me and I'll lend you some tech and other resources you may need. I'd rather have you stay with us. But if you don't you're free to go. The world could use another leader like you to inspire our soldiers.
Rainer looks back at the pirate's victims and asks, "Were these guys with you?" Victor says, "No they were all lone wolves like you. They all were trying to take down the most wanted land pirate Edward Lowell. I happened to be on his trail as well. It looks like I've arrived a little too late...My offer was also available to these men and women as well. There's strength in numbers my friend. If truly you believe in your cause come with me. Keep your goal of repairing this world alive by seeing what we're doing to fix it. I promise you our vision of a free red planet isn't too different from yours.
Rainer looks to the victims and says, " I'll go." Victor says, "Great."
Rainer approaches the female prisoners and says, "you guys will come with me." They all nod then run toward Victor's way. Rainer then walks toward Grace who is now devasted with tears flowing down her face. She looks at her lover's killer and says, "You...You bastard. You killed him!"
Rainer picks up the gun Grace threatened him with and points it to her face. She screams at Rainer saying, "Just do it! SHOOT ME!! " Rainer had the gun pointed at her. Grace closes her eyes. Then she hears the gun Blast.
Grace opens her eyes and sees Rainer has shot a hole through the ground beside her head. Rainer says to Grace, "Hmm you were right. This thing could have shot through my armor." He throws the gun as far as he could then tells the sobbing widow, "I'm not gonna kill you. I'm gonna let you stew over on what you did and what led you to where you're at at this moment. Maybe then you'll change your ways." Rainer walks away toward Victor.
Victor tells Rainer, "My men are on standby to pick her up." Rainer replies, "Great so how soon till we get to your base so we could get to work?"
Victor answers the soldier saying, "The base is already here we just gotta land back to our headquarters next." Left confused, Victor points above him. A huge airship appears with a couple of soldiers descending to the ground. They rush to apprehend Grace. She does not put up a fight. Victor and Rainer then both head to the airship to begin working toward their common goal. Bringing peace to their dystopian world.
ns 15.158.61.50da2
